“I hate when somebody puts me in some kind of box as part of this group or that group. Of course I’m part of something, but at the same time, I want to be me.”
Darek was a student in Poland and immigrated when he was twenty three years old. He said he liked the food, especially the cheese. He also misses the perogies. We asked him what his country’s climate is like and he said it was kind of cool. He said that he “wanted better for his family.” When he moved to America, he first lived in New York in Long Island, and then moved to Norwich, Connecticut. Now, he has a good life with his wife and kids, who are both US citizens. They grew up knowing the English language, which helped them in school.
Darek moved here in 1989 from Poland. It took him a long time to get here, and when he did, Darek couldn't speak English. He had a heavy accent and not a lot of people could understand him. After he learned to speak English he could communicate better with people than when he first came here.
Darek thought this country was excellent when he first arrived. At first, Darek was shocked by how sports were so important here and that there were so many athletic opportunities. He also thought the food was very different from the food he would eat back home. He had some trouble making new friends at first because of the language barrier but was able to overcome this obstacle.
One challenge Darek faced was education because he didn't know how to speak English and he had a very strong accent, so it wasn't easy. Darek was able to overcome this obstacle by practicing and learning. He got a job and had to learn along the way. Once he learned English, it was much easier to communicate with others in the United States. He is a great member of our community and a good citizen. He now teaches baseball in Norwich as a Little League coach.
Project Creators - Ashley, Johnathon, Nasir, Carymar, and Emely
Credits:
All Student and Immigrant Portrait Photos, Writing, Audio Clip Video Short, Climographs, and Coordinate Maps Created By the ISAAC Students - Grade 6 Website Format Created By the Sixth Grade Student Documentary Crew